A major milestone has been reached with the publication this week of the recommendations from the Second International Conference on Accessible Tourism held November 22 - 24, 2007 at the United Nations in Bangkok, Thailand. Sixteen recommendations directed towards governments, public agencies, tourism businesses and academia seek to promote the development of inclusive tourism in the region, targetting a wide range of measures for both specialised and mainstream services.
In Thailand, the Disabled Peoples' International - Asia Pacific (DPI-AP) and the Asia Pacific Disability Forum (APDF) and partners organised the Second International Forum on Accessible Tourism (ICAT 2007) from 22-24 November 2007.
At a congress held last week by the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), over 200 representatives from international disability organisations, tourist boards and private enterprise came to the overwhelming conclusion that accessible tourism is the fastest-growing business opportunity in the tourism industry.
The Australian Disability Discrimination Act 1992 seeks to eliminate discrimination, ‘as far as possible’, against people with disabilities. Public transport is a service covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. The purpose of these Standards is to enable public transport operators and providers to remove discrimination from public transport services.
These Guidelines, developed in cooperation with representatives of the industry, consumers and other government departments, are meant to assist carriers to better serve the needs of persons with disabilities travelling on aircraft with 29 and fewer passenger seats (small aircraft).
Findings of a study by TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) to assess UK aviation industry's compliance with the voluntary Code of Practice 'Access to Air Travel for Disabled People'.
"The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) have produced this simple guide to help make flying an easier and more positive experience."
The Australian Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport provide practical measures to be taken by transport operators and providers to make public transport more accessible, both for persons with disabilities, as well as the elderly and those travelling with young children.
The Access to Travel (ATT) Website contains information on accessible bus, train, plane and ferry transportation, on government policies and programs and on public and private local transportation, as well as links to other accessible transportation sites. This project is an initiative of the Canadian Federal Government, managed by Transport Canada, the Federal Transport Ministry.
The Canadian Transportation Agency's mission is to administer transportation legislation and Government of Canada policies to help achieve an efficient and accessible transportation system by education, consultation and essential regulation.
The objective of the project is to create a social environment in which everyone, including those with restricted physical ability, can travel comfortably without having to worry about inaccessibility.
